Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Don’t Miss A Rocky Mountain High in Greece’s Mani

Greece does have more than its fair share of sea, sun, sand and surf but what is equally impressive and should call out to all visitors,are its mountains.

There are many unsung mountain ranges throughout Greece but now that we are part time ex pats, just south of Kalamata, in the Peloponnese we can attest to the striking beauty of the towering ranges that make up this expansive peninsula.

Of course, the Taygetos, that frame our area are our favorite! (The Green on the map is mountainous areas).

Taygetos Mountain views

And since I told you about stones last week, I thought it time to pay homage to the source of those stones: the mountains that surround us. This is also an intended nudge to those of you planning trips to Greece to include some mountains in your explorations. Hint: in The Mani you can find beaches and mountains within minutes of each other.

Messinian meets Mountains - view from above our house

Quite frankly, the mountains were as much a selling point for this area as was the sea when we decided to purchase our Stone House on the Hill. One of our favorite pastimes is exploring the many tiny villages tucked away in those Taygetos Mountains that surround us.

In this area signs are in Greek and English

You understand – an appreciate – the small sized cars that most people drive here when you set out on the narrow ribbons of asphalt that twist and turn up the hillsides and through the gorges.

The road between villages - The Mani

While the road that links the villages is narrow – very narrow in some places – the route is an easy one as you encounter few cars and only a herd of goats or sheep and cow or two along the way.

Slow traffic ahead

Whoa Bessie!

No matter how often we make the drive, we never get tired of the ‘treats’ just waiting around each bend in the road – whether it be a sweeping view of the ocean that makes us catch our breath or a hidden treasure like this Mani tower and crumbling fortress that teases our imaginations with its history.

A Mani Tower

If driving doesn’t appeal to you, these mountainsides are also laced with hiking trails, many of them following the routes of goat and donkey trails that many in the villages will tell you were once the only links between them and the sea.

Some hikes can be done on the roads leading along gorges

Entrances to hiking paths are marked with signs in English and color coded markings along the way alert hikers to direction and difficulty of the route. There are no use fees or parking fees here.

There's a magic in the Mani Mountains

We can’t recommend The Mani Mountains enough. Keep them in your travel plans if you are heading to Greece. After all Lonely Planet just named the Peloponnese as one of Europe's top, must-see destinations for 2016.

Again thanks so much for the time you spent with us today! And a special thanks to those of you who’ve enjoyed the blog so much that you’ve shared it with your friends and families – it is always fun to hear from someone that says, ‘a friend recommended your blog’.

Hello to our new followers and those who’ve signed up to receive the blog in their inboxes. Come back next week when we’ll slow the pace a bit and savor Greece, the Greek way. And for those of you wanting to see how we use souvenirs to decorate, I am about to invite you in for a tour!

I find it interesting to read other's reports of places that I often just take for granted because they are so close to home. It is fun to see places through other's eyes. One of these days, we'll do a trip together, Olympia! Hugs, Jackie

Yes, I agree, we've been on some roads that had me holding my breath and shutting my eyes, but the ones near us in The Mani really are quite safe and I'd hate to shut my eyes and miss the drop-dead gorgeous views.

What a gorgeous post. I keep telling people if they want good beaches they should go to Florida or California. All those pebbles and stony cliffs are nice to look at in Greece, but not great for sunbathing!

There are some wonderful sand beaches in our area as well, but I keep hoping that visitors will 'head to the hills' and experience the beauty there and not just toast themselves under the Grecian sun on a beach.

Wow thank you so much for this post. Yes you are right, we are made to believe that Greece is mostly those white painted buildings and lovely beaches. Now those photos of mountains are more attractive for me, i prefer the mountains and waterfalls than the sea and beaches, we have lots of them here. That rocky mountain holding the tower looks like some mountains in Turkey, when i was so disappointed coz i am already very near Greece but still cannot go for lack of budget. lol. Thanks so much

Jackie, I read about Taygetos many years ago in one of my kids school book and became enamoured. And so with 4 kids in tow we drove down to Sparta and across Taygetos over to Kalamata on one of the hottest days of the year. I will never forget that trip. It was exhilirating and exhausting at the same time. My love for majestic Taygetos has no bounds. I think we are two pees in a pod, because I just wrote a post about the mountains in my area as well. I am spotlighting the mountains of Helmos. Really, more respect to the mountains, the seas have all the glory.

We did that road trip in reverse - from Kalamata to Sparta and it was so absolutely stunning that it took your breath away at times. We come from a mountainous area of the U.S. but they pale in comparison to the Taygetos! I must come see what you've written!

Jackie I don't normally like to do this but I'm going to give you the link to my mountain post. I want your input. This is Helmos. http://www.theboondocksblog.com/home/the-majestic-mountains-of-greece-h

You have the best of both worlds, Jackie and I loved seeing some of the mountain roads. Such a great way to spend a few hours wandering about and the animals along the way (or on the road) only add to the pleasure!

Yes, we did luck out with the best of both worlds. I stood in a checkout line in Washington State not long ago and the woman ahead of me was lusting over our state's geography, "Where else would you find the mountains so close to the sea?" she almost swooned. Hmmm. . .I thought, 'in The Mani!'

We love beaches that are surrounded by mountains. Mountains make me feel free and their presence is magical. I remember house-sitting in the mountains near Granada Spain and daily walks along the mountain trails with our dog. So beautiful. I think I would love your corner of Greece.

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TravelnWrite is

. . . about chasing a daydream. We are boomer ex pats from America's Pacific Northwest who decided to grow olives in Greece instead of old at home. Come join us as we discover the wonders of our new world. We are vagabonds at heart and keep our bags packed and ready to explore new lands! Come. . .join us on a journey through life.

The Scout and The Scribe

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Travelnwrite is about Travelin' Right!

In our 35 years together, we've logged thousands of air and sea miles exploring far-away and close-to-home destinations. We quit our '8 - 5' jobs more than a dozen years ago. . .long before retirement age.

After living out of carry-on sized suitcases for more than a third of the year we decided to straddle the Atlantic and have part-time roots in two places (which makes for carry-on sized bags).

We split our at-home time between Washington State, in the United State's Pacific Northwest and our home on a hill above Agios Dimetrio, a small village in The Mani, a part of Greek's Peloponnese. (We decided to grow olives instead of old!)

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